


Sleep Sound

by pennysparkle



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anal Sex, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:09:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5379791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennysparkle/pseuds/pennysparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a few seconds Luffy's eyes had drifted away from Law's, and of course that had to be the moment everything kicked off, when someone or something swooped in on his blind spot and jabbed hard at him. He felt it radiate outward, quaking through his body at first until he went down in a sudden heap, legs too weak to keep himself up any longer, teeth grit to hold back a searing yell of pain—more from the sudden lack of breath inside his chest than the actual damage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleep Sound

**Author's Note:**

> for [flaggermousse](http://flaggermousse.tumblr.com), by way of [pineappleheadmarco](http://pineappleheadmarco.tumblr.com). Happy birthday!

For a few seconds Luffy's eyes had drifted away from Law's, and of course that had to be the moment everything kicked off, when someone or  _something_ swooped in on his blind spot and jabbed hard at him. He felt it radiate outward, quaking through his body at first until he went down in a sudden heap, legs too weak to keep himself up any longer, teeth grit to hold back a searing yell of pain—more from the sudden lack of breath inside his chest than the actual damage.

But as he lay there, unable to move or breathe, his eyes landed on Luffy as naturally as anything. And Luffy was looking right back at him, at his crumpled form, and Law could see it in his face. It was like his heart had stopped, ice cold and utterly still inside of his chest, clutched tight and at Law's mercy like so many others had been. The world was lurching on sickeningly around Luffy while his eyes remained on Law, because what he was seeing couldn't be right, but Law was laying there, one leg at an uneasy angle, his exposed stomach darkly bruised in a way that Luffy couldn't spare time to cringe for. What he saw was a Law that wasn't moving, wasn't  _breathing_ , and though his eyes were open and moving, they were glassy and sluggish.

He was terrifying Luffy, he knew. Just by laying there and looking like that, just by  _seeing_ Luffy's eyes, he knew what he was doing to him. So Law stirred and made himself start getting up, even though his legs were wobbling, and he coughed and sucked in a painful, gasping breath.

Deep down, he knew that the damage had been done, though. That look in Luffy's eyes would haunt him now, some kind of disbelieving horror that almost verged on  _anger_ , like he'd genuinely believed for a few seconds that Law would give up and go down for the count so easily. And in a way, this was a sign, a symbol that what was between them had gained some kind of seriousness unfelt before. The misery and despair inside of Luffy at that moment when their eyes had met had looked entirely unlike one he might feel for a comrade, which Law knew was painful enough. That easily would have killed a small part of him, but he could see the devastation Luffy had felt just then.

The idea of it must have been uniquely terrifying. Law knew him well enough at this point to know that he wasn't afraid of letting people under his skin, of making a home in their friendship. Still, that comfort wasn't the same as belonging to someone, and having them belong to you in turn—a sentiment which had thus far gone unexpressed between the two of them, but which was true all the same. Maybe it wasn't the  _whole_ of their relationship—it was far too complex and winding to only be that—but it was still a chunk. And that was as terrifying as it was special.

When the dust of battle had finally cleared and they'd limped themselves back to the ship, they split off from the rest of the crew with assurances that Chopper could tend to the worst of the wounds, and tucked themselves away in the bunkroom. Law could feel an austere air to Luffy as they settled, a set to his mouth that was too serious to look at home on his face. It put him on edge, but he knew that there were more wounds to heal than just the superficial ones; this had broken a part of Luffy, let in the cold and the damp to settle within his bones. His world had shifted a tiny bit, but enough to have made an eternal effect. And it had to be treated, lest it fester.

"Mugiwara-ya," Law said, breaking the silence of the bunkroom crisply. Luffy was too quiet—it was unsettling, when normally he could be so vivid and loud.

Luffy's eyes lingered around the ground for a moment before he lifted them. "Hm?"

"Is something wrong?"

He wouldn't say it, Law already knew. Neither of them were particularly good at talking about this sort of thing... feelings and all that. Luffy was all action all the time, colorful and brash, ever-moving, and Law himself tended to keep quiet on most topics. It wasn't in their nature to make declarations.

Sure enough, Luffy sighed loudly, leaned his head against Law's shoulder and left it there. It ached and twinged a little, and was rather an uncomfortable position besides, but Law didn't push him away. The point was that he was solid underneath Luffy. He was here. It wasn't enough of a comfort, but it would have to do.

"Torao, there's blood," Luffy said—a concerned observation rather than fear, at the very least. Law might have been bloodied and beaten, might have terrified Luffy within an inch of going berserk, but in the end, he really was here. Carefully, he touched the scrape on Law's wrist, brushing the blood away and wiping it on a nearby towel.

Law looked at him, a little blank and a little curious as Luffy pushed up off the bed suddenly and went to fish around in the lockers. From it he pulled a deep brown bottle that he sat aside, then an already ripped-up white shirt from the laundry; Law hoped it was at least clean. They were each silent as Luffy crouched down, taking Law's hand and holding it steady as he poured alcohol from the bottle over the cut. It made Law grimace a little, but he didn't complain, which was a little bit ironic. Wasn't this supposed to be  _his_ job? He should have been pushing Luffy off and taking care of it for himself in a much more tidy and quick manner, but he'd gone soft. This ritual seemed necessary, as much to administer care as it was to help Luffy feel better. Thus he remained quiet as Luffy worked, finding scrapes over Law's hands and arms and working to clean them up. At least none of them were particularly deep enough to require bandaging.

"What else should I look at, Torao?" Luffy asked when he was done, the bottle set aside. Nobody had come in yet; either they were still being tended to by Chopper, or they were showing an uncharacteristic amount of consideration and staying clear while Luffy and Law were together.

Law almost didn't want to show him the worst of his injuries; in fact, he barely wanted to see it himself. But he pulled his shirt up, grunting quietly in discomfort when the dark bruise that spanned his stomach was revealed, swaths of cool purple wrapping sinisterly around his side. Unsettling though it was, Luffy seemed mesmerized by it, and reached out to touch it, his fingertips careful over the flesh, feeling it out.

"It's all... solid underneath. If you were bleeding inside, it'd be squishier than usual, right?" Luffy asked.

It almost made Law laugh. Leave it to Luffy, who probably knew incredibly little about these sorts of things, to find such simple answers. But as always, he was endeared by it, and a rare smile took hold of his lips. "It's fine," he said. "I'm a little bruised, but I'm not recognizing any signs of internal damage."

Luffy nodded. He wouldn't have been able to do anything even  _if_ Law had damage, but it seemed to relieve him nonetheless to hear this. Maybe part of him was still under the belief that he could really lose Law, if things looked bad enough.

"Are you done checking? I need to check you too," said Law after a few moments of Luffy's head bowed over his lap, hands still idly rubbing his stomach as if to make sure Law was  _really_ telling the truth.

"Why? I'm fine," Luffy grumbled, and Law knew he probably hadn't even thought to acknowledge any of his own injuries in the time spanning between when Law had gone down and now. Besides, injuries always seemed to be a silly distraction to him, something not worth paying too much attention to—much to Law's frustration. He needed to take them more seriously.

At the very least, he let Law check him over, cleaning and patching up the long but shallow slice someone had landed on his back in the moment of shock he'd spent staring at Law. It was nothing too worrisome; still, he was careful as he treated it, and withdrew slowly.

Where did they go from here? He didn't have much time to wonder. Luffy leaned in and touched him, slow and lingering, first on the back of his hands. He soaked in the warmth of his skin, eyes sweeping each inch as his fingertips moved, surety seeming to fill him as he did so. Law was here. He was safe. Luffy ducked his head, pressed his lips reverently to the bruises on Law's stomach, and Law rested a hand on the top of his head.

"What are you doing...?" he wondered. He had a right to; it was uncharacteristic of Luffy to be so sentimental, to seek so much physical reassurance. But he was silenced from any further questioning by the urgent touch of Luffy's mouth on his own. And this, at least, was something familiar, the need that came with something terrifying. It was starting to become clearer and clearer to Law, why Luffy was so much more jittery and antsy than usual. He was scared, but it was something even deeper than that. And Law could tell him to slow down, to think this through, but in the end, it wouldn't make all that much difference. His best bet was to pull Luffy closer, part his lips and gentle him until he wasn't so upset.

Luffy's frantic kisses just then were fine, but destructive, and calming him from the edge would take some effort. Still, it would be worth it. Instead of sharp-edged teeth and painful bumping of their bodies together, Law gave him slow, measured brushes of his lips, shifting from one angle to another. Each time Luffy suddenly surged up, like an animal refusing to be lulled into complacency, he would cradle him a little closer and firmly remind him with his kisses that this was supposed to be  _slow_ , easy, and he softened his way through until he could nudge Luffy's lips apart and slip his tongue inside.

This was starting to calm him. He must have had to concentrate on it so deeply that it became hard for his manic energy to take over, but as their tongues brushed together, taking a few moments to catch the same rhythm, he began to melt against Law, hands clutching at him a little tighter than usual.

Every battle had the potential for death. Even the small ones could grow, could become something unknown. They all knew that. It was as easy as that for your dreams to slip away at sea, but sometimes it was hard to remember that everyone else's lives were at stake, too. Maybe Luffy had forgotten this. Maybe he just never knew how deep he'd gotten until this moment, but he was shaking as he touched Law, smoothing down his chest and trying so hard to avoid those sore spots, except that he was clearly fixated on them.

"I'm alright," Law murmured as their lips parted and Luffy pressed even closer. Always he was doing things like this, disregarding everyone's personal bubbles, but no one really minded, and Law didn't either. He cupped Luffy's cheek in as tender a way as he could manage, more like a surgeon exercising control than a lover seeking closeness, and stared into his eyes, wondering when they'd stop looking like those of a spooked beast. His words were doing little, and even his touches seemed to take longer than usual to register. He smiled, wanting to reassure him.

But instead Luffy kissed him again, and Law tried so hard to bring him down with each careful movement of lips and tongue. Usually it'd work. He'd  _thought_ it had worked earlier, but it seemed not to have any real lingering effect, and now Luffy was inches away from thrashing.

Law pulled him down. He laid back on the bed, tugged Luffy to rest on top of him, and spoke against his ear. "What happened?"

Luffy squirmed. He struggled a little, flailing, hands grabbing at Law's arms at the same time as he tried to push upward, though that just knocked their heads together. At the very least, the pain seemed to bring Luffy back to his senses for the moment, and he stared down at Law in a daze.

"What happened?" Law asked again, more firmly as he clutched at his head.

"... I could lose you," Luffy muttered. There was a melancholy edge to his voice, something quiet, as if he didn't want to infect the atmosphere with it.

"You didn't, though," Law assured him, his hand dropping back to the bed slowly. "I'm here."

"But I  _could_ ," Luffy said. He was starting to move again, like a wild animal struggling to get free, only he was pawing at Law instead, tugging at his clothes and trying to get closer all at the same time.

It was hard for pirates to think about the longterm future. They had goals, but the greatest skill one could have was the desire to never give up, to  _believe_ that one day they would get there, that they'd have what they wanted. Death couldn't factor into plans, and everything that came in between was miniscule to think about. It wouldn't do to worry about it, but here Luffy was, wondering if at some point between now and when he became pirate king, he might  _lose_ Law. Had he become so fundamental? Surely he thought of his crew this way, but someone he was allied with? Only that wasn't the extent of Law's involvement; they were close now. Closer than either of them had realized.

"Should I make a promise not to die, then?" Law wondered, a little darker than he probably should have been considering Luffy's current state.

But Luffy just laughed, and his hands paused where they had been trying to work Law's pants down. "Yeah. Promise me."

"Then I promise you. I won't die," said Law.

That satisfied him, strangely enough. Law wasn't going to question it, both because Luffy  _finally_ seemed a little more like himself, a smile slowly creeping onto his face, and also because he'd gone back to pulling Law's pants down, tossing them aside somewhere. It wasn't unusual for them to do this after some battle or another; blowing off steam was necessary, and this just so happened to be one of the more pleasurable ways. But this time, it was charged. It was  _important_ , Luffy's hands fitting around Law's hips and pulling him closer a little less roughly than he usually would.

He touched Law's cock first, stroking from base to tip once or twice. It was a sweet pressure that made him arch his hips up, pushing his half-hard cock into the warmth of his palm, and he shuddered as Luffy squeezed gently.

"Don't take it too slow," he said. "We don't have long before everybody will be looking for us."

Luffy grumbled a little, but he reached over into the bedside drawer, withdrawing a vial of oil that he coated his fingertips with (spilling a tiny spot of it on Law's stomach in the meantime, but that would get wiped away between their bodies, probably). As he stroked Law with his other hand, he began to work him open on his fingers, one at first, and then before he could grow tired of that, a second. It could have stood to be a little more of a drawn-out process, but they unfortunately didn't have the luxury of that just now.

Besides, truth be told, it was comforting to feel Luffy too. It was strange how easily this could alter an evening, turning it playful when it had been bad, gentling it when it had been overwhelming, and now, reassuring when everything had been so rocky earlier on. He lay back amongst the pillows, legs sprawled open as Luffy touched him, impatient as ever. But that wasn't so bad. With all the lack of privacy living on a pirate ship brought, hurried had to be their baseline. The slower, more tender moments could come when they were on an island with a decent inn. This was good enough. All he needed was to see Luffy keep smiling.

And he was, his breathing getting heavier as he finally undid his own shorts, pushing them down just enough that he could wrap an oil-slicked hand around his cock and give it a few quick swipes before he was pulling Law's thighs into his lap, pushing between them as easily as if they'd done this a million times before.

"Just be careful," Law murmured as Luffy started to push inside. He felt tender, bruised midsection twinging every so often, but it wasn't at all bad enough that he wanted to put this off. If he did, this might be irreparable; a distance could form between them that came from not tending to wounds that desperately needed it. This one had to be dealt with as quickly as possible, so he ignored the soreness of his stomach as he pushed down to allow Luffy inside, smiling up at him in return.

It wasn't just the connecting of their bodies that was important, but it helped. When neither of them could find the words or the reassurances, when nothing just came out  _right_ , it was easier to touch and open up that way, to feel the connection between them and to soak it in. Law made sure to keep that in mind, holding tight to Luffy's arm, a wince crossing his features as he tried to move a little too fast. But that was how he was: eager and overzealous, and all the more good because of it. He was bright and happy, and that was how he was  _meant_ to be.

"Torao, it feels okay, doesn't it?" Luffy wondered, his voice quieter and pitched just so—something only Law was allowed to hear from him. There was an intimacy to him like this, and it felt nice to know that it was all for him.

"It's fine. Keep going."

He pushed a little deeper. At times it could feel a little bit foreign, but right now it was perfect. Law wondered if they both needed it, and he just hadn't realized it before, that he was as frazzled as Luffy was. Something to soothe away the rough edge and the uncomfortable stillness at the end of a battle was helpful, but this was different in a way he couldn't place. Still, with Luffy on top of him, gradually filling him up, he could feel that edge being ground away.

Soon he was all the way inside. They were right in each other's spaces, breathing hard, and Law leaned up to kiss him again. Somehow it had all shifted in the span of a second when Luffy settled deep inside, the hurry and the discomfort losing momentum so that a golden warmth could replace it, with Luffy shifting his hips into him and back out barely an inch at a time. It didn't feel all that good just yet, but the closeness felt right as they kissed, lips parting and meeting again, Law's hands touching at Luffy's face.

"You can do it harder," he murmured after a few minutes had passed of Luffy barely moving. He was anxious for something to feel good at this point, honestly—and Luffy drew back a little, arms pushing up around Law's shoulders to rest himself on as he started actually fucking him, that first thrust shoving him up the bed a little.

After a few seconds, Luffy laughed, swiping his thumb over Law's cheek as he moved. "We won, Torao!"

Law's brows pinched together. Was this the time and place...? When it came to Luffy, he guessed it didn't matter. "We did."

"You're here," said Luffy, as if he'd finally realized the truth in this. He was grinning so widely that it was infectious, and though Law's smile was a little smaller and more secretive, it was no less genuine.

"I am."

"I'm glad."

And Law was, too. He figured he'd have been just as terrified if it had been Luffy going down the way he had. But most of all, he was glad that Luffy wasn't so scared anymore, that his kisses were becoming less spooked and his thrusts more sure, his touches eager and warm and a little too rough—but not at all worth complaining about, because something was rapidly building inside the both of them. Now that Luffy was pushing up into him, filling him fully with each stroke, they were descending toward erratic again, all of the urgency of earlier back at once. It felt too good to hold back; Law was tensing up, doing his best not to squirm, and Luffy's head hung between his shoulders as his breaths came out hard, his gaze focused on the place where they connected. Law had to grab at him to get him to look at him, their eyes remaining locked.  _Look at me. See that I'm here. Keep smiling_.

"Torao, you're looking at me all funny," Luffy said, laughing a little. That was a relief to hear, though. Each and every time, it eased something inside of Law, and he moved into those thrusts eagerly, gasping in a tiny bit of pain but a greater amount of pleasure as Luffy's cock shifted deeper.

Still, Luffy slowed for a moment, looking concerned until Law waved him off. They were both used to pain, and in Law's line of work, he knew what would be truly damaged by this kind of activity and what wouldn't. If he'd had deeper, more permanent wounds? Maybe this would have been better postponed. But in his condition, and with things between them still a little tender, this could only help it along. He wrapped his arms around Luffy's shoulders and pushed his hips up, encouraging him to give more.

And he did. As uncoordinated as his thrusts could sometimes be, he fit his arm under Law's back and heaved him up, pulling him down into each shift of his hips. The measured movements weren't enough to hit any kind of magical spots just yet, but they  _felt_ good. Luffy filling him up, warm inside of him and all around him, that was what felt right and reassuring and all the things they both needed right now. Law clung to him a little, more for Luffy's sake than his own, reminding him that he was here as Luffy rocked into him. He kissed him too, anywhere he could reach, until something inside of Luffy seemed to break and he tugged Law up into his lap as he sat back.

There was something a little strange about being underneath someone, at their mercy—even if it was Luffy, someone Law had grown to trust and care for infinitely more than he'd ever thought he would. But this was a little bit better, probably; he could gauge his own pain level, careful of the bruises as he started moving slowly, and besides, he was desperate in a way that Luffy hadn't been able to fulfill just yet. He couldn't fuck him as hard or as fast as he was doing to himself, too worried about hurting him, if earlier was anything to go by. But Law appreciated that. And anyway, he was gasping and moaning underneath Law, blissful until Law grabbed at his hand and pulled it to wrap around his cock, then led the other to release his hip and touch his bare skin, even over the bruised parts. They were proof that he was alive, weren't they? He'd withstood so many things that had seemed deadly at the time; he was here, despite everything. It was something worth celebrating, something worth the smile on his face.

It didn't take many more of Law's measured movements before Luffy bit down on his shoulder and came inside of him, filling him to the point that it was almost uncomfortable as he rocked up into him. He jerked Law's cock faster, until he spilled too, and then they fell back against the bed with matching sighs, breathing heavy as they started to come down.

Between them was comfortable silence. Luffy's limbs were tangled around Law's, keeping him as close as he could manage, and it wasn't exactly  _pleasant_ when they were both sweaty. But all the same, they seemed to both prefer it. Law eased an arm around Luffy's side, holding him close, and as the minutes ticked by, he finally spoke.

"You understand, don't you, Mugiwara-ya?"

Luffy stirred. He didn't speak at first, only grunting quietly. "I don't get it. What?"

Law sighed, knowing that it was rather useless to go out and make large declarations when this was all he would get in return. But wasn't that one of the things he liked about Luffy? He was uncomplicated—emotions were easy with him, because he wore them on his face, and didn't have to complicate any of it with words. That was all Law's territory; but maybe that was one of the reasons they worked together at all.

"I wouldn't leave you," he said. "I'd go down fighting tooth and nail to stay by your side. Don't think I'd ever give up that easily."

Luffy huffed. "Don't do it for me. Do it because you want to keep going."

Oh. Of course—someone as ambitious as him, he'd  _hate_ it if the person he placed his affections in didn't want to live just for the adventure of it. But he should have known by now that Law wasn't doing any of this—piracy  _or_ their relationship—just for fun.

"It's not like that. I'm only saying. You don't have to worry about losing me, because you won't. I'm stronger than that." He squeezed Luffy a little tighter, hooked his jaw over his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Then, because it felt almost too intimate to be saying these things, and because he missed the happy atmosphere, he squished his lips together and blew a raspberry right there. It was uncharacteristically foolish of him, but what could he say? Luffy had rubbed off on him a lot.

That made Luffy laugh loudly, and he rolled over, pinning Law beneath him so that he could sit on his hips and tickle him hard enough that he was soon wheezing. Things were heading back toward normal between them. But better, maybe. Somehow. Words so often went unspoken between them because it was just too hard to say them, but they needed to be cleared up every so often, and with them out of the way it felt happier, and  _right_.

When Luffy rolled back onto the bed beside Law, they scooted close again, both of them unconsciously smiling as they tangled themselves up until they were secured together. Their eyes closed, and though they clung tight, they could each be sure that nothing would tear them away from each other. Not tonight, and not ever. Not if they had anything to do with it.


End file.
